Plugging device for catheters



May 2, 1933. R. H; WAPPLER PLUGGING DEVICE FOR CATHETERS Filed June 9, 1931 INVENTOR Reinhold H. Wappler r W ATTO NEY Patented May 2, 1933 REINHOLD H. WAPIPLER, oryonxnns, new YORK I PLUGGIN G DEVICE FOR CATHETEBS Appllcation filed J'une 9, 1931. Serial No. 543,081.

My present invention relates generally to surgical instruments andappliances, and has particular reference to catheters.

The" process of inserting a catheter into i one or the other of the kidneys, for the purpose of obtainingflspecimens of urine and thereby varriv1ng at accurate diagnoses, 1s

one which necess'ari'ly'v requires that the" catheter, and especiall the lumen thereof,

be and remain in a sterile condition. Oneof the general objects ,of my present invention is to provide a plugging device of novel and sterilizable character to'permi-t the rear end of the catheter to be efiiciently plugged dur- 5 ing the various procedures which precede the actual collection of a specimen.

The difficulty in providing a suitable and practical plug fora relatively small article such as a catheter is complicated by the fact that the catheterv is flexible and isusually inserted into the body" cavity through a catheter tube which is curved. For example, theusual catheter tube which isassociated with a cystoscope containing a telescope and illuminating means is curved at' its rear end and also at its forward end, these curvatures being desirable to facilitate the insertion of the catheter and to enable the forward end of the catheter to be maintained underilluminated vision as it emerges gfrom the inner end of the catheter tube. Furthermore, it is customary to remove or withdraw the cystoscopej prior to the draining of i a specimen, and apractical plugging. device Inusththerefore be capable of fulfilling its function and remaining in place during the procedure of withdrawing the cystoscope over the inserted catheter. Any rigid and Y unyielding plug is unsuitable for the reason that the curved catheter tube cannot be with-v drawn over it. e g v e A feature of my present invention lies in the provision of. a steiilizable catheter plugging device which is so constructed as to be capable of eflicient. and practical ma,- nipulation during the application thereof to plug the catheter; and to permit the withdrawal fof a curved cathetertube rearwardly-over the plugged'catheter without dis 9 turbing-the plugged relationship.

2 I achievethe foregoing objects and advantages, and such other objects andadvantag'es as may hereinafter appear or be pointedout, in the manner ,illustratively exemplified I in the accompanying rawing, whereini Figure 1 is a perspectiveview of a typical catheter, showing my present vice associated therewith;

a Figure 2 is. an enlarged cross sectional view through "the rear end of a catheter,

' showing the same, inposition within the rear end of, atypical catheter tube; and

I Figure3 is aview similar to Figure 2,, showing the manner in which the curved catheter tube may be withdrawn over the plugged catheter. ,7 I v, I :have illustratively shown a long, thin, and flexible catheter 10 of. customary con.-

struction and nature and havinga closed 70 forward end. 11 to the rear of which are openings 12 through which the desired specimen maybe caused to enter and ,flow rearwardly through the catheter.

In Figure. 2, I. have illustrated the rear curved end 13 of a typical catheter tube 14,

plugging dethis tube being usually ofmetaland being 7 associated with a ,cystoscope or similarv instrument whichis inserted ,into thebody cavity'prior to the insertion'of the catheter 10. In accordance with. my present invention, therear open end of the catheter 10 may be plugged after the insertion thereof through the catheter tube 14 by means of a device illustrated most clearly in Figures 2 and 8 and comprising a rounded, preferably ellipsoidal, plugging element 15 andaresil-I lientlygflexible stem 16. The head 15 is preferably ofsterili zable metal and the stem v 16 is constructed of twisted strands ofsuitable wire" which cause the same to be normally I straight yet yieldably and resiliently flexible. The stem leis inte rally associated with the head 15 and is pre erably provided at its rear end with a second enlarged and rounded head 17. i a

The entire plugging device is capable of sterilization; and after this has been accomplished, it is'a relatively simple matter to grasp the stem 16 at a distance'from the,

particular plugging end to be employed, and thereupon to force the plugging element, such as the element 15, into the rear end of the catheter to be plugged. This may be accomplished without contacting the operative head so that it remains sterile, and it is because of the peculiar and novel construction of the stem 16 that a,pushing of the plugging element is capable'of accomplishment. In this connection, it must be borne in mind that the extreme fineness of the catheter bore and the flexibility of the catheter material makes it comparatively diflicult to push something into the catheter to plug the same. The stem 16, as stated, is, however, sufliciently rigid and staunch to permit the plugging element 15 to be in serted into the plugging relationship shown in Figures 2 and 3. V

' After this has been accomplished, the cystoscope and the catheter tube let are withdrawn from the body cavity, as indicated by the arrow 19, in order to leave the plugged catheter in position. This necessitates, a yielding of the plugging device, not only during the initial passage thereover of the rear curved end 13 of the catheter tube 14, but also during the ultimate passage thereover of the forward curved end 18 of this tube, as illustrated in Figure 3. My present plugging device, though normally straight and substantially rigid, is nevertheless resiliently yieldable and flexible, as illustrated in Figure 3, to permit the catheter tube to be withdrawn in the contemplated manner.

The final procedure is' then extremely simple, since it is only necessary to grasp the stem 16 and to Withdraw the plugging device from the rear end of the catheter,

thereby permitting an uncontaminated specimen to be withdrawn or drained through the catheter.

The head 17 serves not only as an alternate head, so that either head may be selected "for use, in which case it may be desirable to make one head slightly larger than the other, but it serves the additional function of completing the structural nature of the plugging device so as to render the same devoid of all projecting parts, ends, or rough edges of the wire strands of the stem. Furthermore, the rear head facilitates the grasping and manipulation of the device not only during its insertion into plugging relationship but also during a withdrawal of the plugging device when a draining is to be accomplished.

Either of the plugging elements at the ends of the stem may serve as an eflicient means for plugging a device such as a. catheter,'not only because'of the rigid and unyielding character of these elements but also because of the rounded and ellipsoidal shape thereof. The stem being smaller in diameter than that of either plugging element, it is possible to insert the latter well into the end of the catheter without any likelihood of having the same ejected accidentally either by fluid pressure or by accidental engagement of the projecting end of the plugging device during the procedural steps outlined.

Obviously, although I have illustrated and described my invention as it appertains to the plugging of a catheter for one specific purpose, it will be readily understood that the employment of the inventionis not restricted to such a specific use but may find wide applicability in analogous uses or analogous arts.

Furthermore, it will be obvious that changes in the details herein described and illustrated for the purpose of explaining the nature of my invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims. It is therefore intended that these details be interpreted as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A plugging device for a hollow, flexible catheter insertable through a curved catheter tube to position the forward end of the catheter within a body cavity, said device comprisinga rounded plugging element snugly insertable into the rear end of the catheter, and a resiliently flexible stem on said element, whereby said plugging element may be inserted in sterilecondition and whereby the curved catheter tube may thereupon be withdrawn rearwardly over the plugged catheter.

2. A plugging device for a hollow, flexible catheter insertable through a curved catheter tube to position the forward end of the catheter within a body cavity, said device comprising a rounded plugging element snugly insertable into the rear end of the catheter, and a resiliently flexible stem on said element, whereby said plugging element may be inserted in sterile condition and whereby the curved catheter tube may thereupon be withdrawn rearwardly over the plugged catheter; said stem comprising a normally straight, metallic wire formed integrally with said plugging element and of slightly reduced diameter.

3. A plugging device for a hollow, flexible catheter insertable through a curved catheter tube to position the forward end of the catheter within a body cavity, said device comprising a rounded plugging element snugly insertable into the rear end of the catheter, and a resiliently flexible stem on said element, whereby said plugging element may be inserted in sterile condition and whereby the curved catheter tube may thereupon be withdrawn rearwardly over the plugged catheter;

stem.

said stem comprising a metallic wire formed of twisted strands and rigidly secured to said plugging element, the overall diameter vof said wire being less thanthat of said plugging element. p

4. A plugging device for a hollow, flexible catheter insertable through a curved catheter tube to position the forward end of the catheter within a body cavity, said device comprising a rounded pluggmg element snugly insertable into the rear end of'the catheter, and a resiliently flexible stem on said element, whereby said plugging elementmay be inserted in sterile condition and wherebythe curved catheter tube may thereupon be with-V,

drawn rearwardly over the plugged catheter; said stem being provided at its rear endwith an alternate rounded plugging element adapted to facilitate manipulation of the 5. A plugging device'for a hollow, flexible catheter insertable through a curved catheter 1 tube to position the forward end of the oatheter within a body cavity, said device com-' prising a rounded plugging element snugly 'insertable into the rear end of the-catheter,

' of said stem; whereby a desired plugging ele' ment may be inserted into the catheter in" a normally straight, resiliently flexible stem' on said element and of less diameter than that of said element, and an alternate rounded plugging element on the rear end sterile condition and" whereby the curved I catheter tube may be thereupon withdrawn rearwardly over the plugged catheter.

6. A plugglng device for a hollow, flexible catheter insertable through a curved catheter tube to position the forward end of the oatheter within a body cavity, said device com- 7 prising an ellipsoidal plugging element snug- I 1y insertable into ,the rear end," of the catheter, and a resiliently flexible wire stem secured to one'end of said element and of reduced diameter, whereby manipulation of said stem permits the plugging'element to be inserted into the catheter in sterile condition, and whereby thelflexibility of the stem permits the catheter tube to bewithdrawn rearwardly over the plugged catheter. I

7.1 As a new article of manufacture, a sterilizable plugging device for a hollow cath- 7 "eter, comprising a normally straight, resiliently flexible wire stem composed of twisted strands, and a slightlyenlarged, ellipsoidal plugging element on each end of said stem and adapted to be pushed into-an end of a catheter by means of said stem.

In witness whereof, I have signed this specification this'6th day of June, 1931; i v REINHOLD H. WAPPLER. 

